Keywords Recovery à Coral bleaching à Seychelles Ã. Marine protected .... abundance data from before, immediately after and seven years after the .... careous algae occurring as a hard, smooth pavement on the substratum) ... Non-algal categories were live coral, sand and dead coral ..... group drives coral reef recovery.
Coral Reefs (2007) 26:641–653 DOI 10.1007/s00338-007-0230-1
REPORT
Phase shifts and the role of herbivory in the resilience of coral reefs M. H. Ledlie Æ N. A. J. Graham Æ J. C. Bythell Æ S. K. Wilson Æ S. Jennings Æ N. V. C. Polunin Æ J. Hardcastle
Received: 7 November 2006 / Accepted: 22 March 2007 / Published online: 17 May 2007 Springer-Verlag 2007
structure. Analysis of the feeding habits of six abundant and representative herbivorous fish species around Cousin Island in 2006 demonstrated that epilithic algae were the preferred food resource of all species and that macroalgae were avoided. Given the current dominance of macroalgae and the apparent absence of macroalgal consumers, it is suggested that the increasing abundance of macroalgae is reducing the probability of the system reverting to a coral dominated state.
Abstract Cousin Island marine reserve (Seychelles) has been an effectively protected no-take marine protected area (MPA) since 1968 and was shown in 1994 to support a healthy herbivorous fish assemblage. In 1998 Cousin Island reefs suffered extensive coral mortality following a coral bleaching event, and a phase shift from coral to algal dominance ensued. By 2005 mean coral cover was
